It has been a weird couple of months. As some of you might have noticed I haven’t been as ‘social’ as I used to be. Not that I didn’t want to, but simply because I was too busy. Busy with work and busy with organizing Social Connections IV, the IBM Connections user group event that is going to hit Amsterdam in 2,5 weeks time.

Today was a major milestone as with the 180th registration we hit a magical (and unexpected) record number of participants and the maximum we can accommodate this time. When we started organizing this event 5 months ago we set ourselves an ambitious goal to reach 150 participants. Ambitious as it would be almost 50% more then we had ever had before. With a location like Amsterdam though, with it’s international airport and its transport links to the rest of mainland Europe, we felt it was possible. And it turns out it is. Better yet, we passed it and even had to set a maximum at 180! Which we comfortable reached today.

I’m sure it is going to be fantastic. With 34 speakers delivering a staggering 28 sessions to attendees from all over the globe there is going to be enough to keep everyone interested. From deep-dive technical Cognos to High-level community management to practical ‘this is how we do it’ case studies.

The most important to me though is the fact that being at an event like this offers everyone the opportunity to really connect and interact with each other. Being able to share your Social Business experiences and challenges and hearing how others solve them, that is where for me the biggest benefit of attending any Social Connections event lies.

Organizing this has been a real learning experience for me in so many ways too… As a business consultant I’m not exactly used to haggling with event bureaus, ordering booth stands, attracting sponsors and speakers or designing printed materials but over the last few months I’ve done it all… and with great pleasure. It has been (and still is!) a roller-coaster ride but one I’m really enjoying and one I’m not facing alone. The Social Connections team is an amazing group of people without whom none of this would have been possible!

So heading into the last 2,5 weeks before the actual event I can see the finish line, but we’re not there yet. There are still wrinkles to iron out and last minute items to check but overall I think we’re ready. Ready to hit Amsterdam, ready to start Social connections IV.

I can’t wait to see so many of you there!